BY DONNA SWICEGOOD

Beef stew, mixed vegetables, rice and a variety of desserts were served for lunch on Wednesday at Fifth Street Ministries in Statesville.

It was more than the usual mid-day meal for shelter residents and anyone in the community in need of a hearty meal. It was an intentional effort to feed the hungry and assist the nonprofit that serves, houses and supports many of the most vulnerable members of our community every day.

The meal came courtesy of Food Lion Feeds. Those serving the hot lunch and cleaning the kitchen were Food Lion store managers from across the region.

Food Lion employees also delivered 13,000 pounds of food to stock the pantry and $5,000 in gift cards.

Executive Director Tamara Roach said Wednesday’s donation of food, gift cards and labor gives the shelter resources for the coming months. It also provides hope for the shelter, its residents and neighborhood residents who rely Fifth Street for regular meals.

Katherine Sower, director of operations for Food Lion, said the outreach is part of the grocery chain’s week of giving. It was one of 13 events held this week throughout the Charlotte region.

Angie Sherrill, a store manager in Mooresville, said the gift cards will allow the shelter to buy whatever it needs for its programs.

Roach said the donations came at an opportune time for Fifth Street Ministries.

With the federal government shutdown that will affect SNAP benefits, the nonprofit anticipates the numbers of those needing food will grow. The shelter regularly feeds 40 to 60 people breakfast and lunch daily and about 80 for dinner. Those numbers have been creeping up and she expects that growth to continue if residents lose their SNAP benefits.

The gift cards and food donations will do more than just help those who are housed in the shelter or seek a hot meal.

They will be used to buy pop-top canned food and dry goods to be dispensed by the nonprofit’s PATH team, which goes into the homeless camps throughout the Statesville area.

Some of the donations will also be used at My Sister’s House, the facility for those fleeing domestic violence.

Roach said the general public would be surprised at the people who seek refuge from homelessness at Fifth Street Ministries.

“We have a lot of elderly people,” she said. “We have two older gentlemen who are legally blind.” Also, she said, the staff is currently working with a couple who have dementia.

“It’s heartbreaking. They don’t understand how they got here,” she said.

So seeing the group of Food Lion managers wiping tables, serving tea and dishing out meals was heartwarming, she said.

Kitchen manager Byron Long Sr., one of two kitchen employees at Fifth Street, directed the Food Lion staff members in what to expect as the doors to the dining room were ready to open.

Having the Food Lion staff members offered a bit of relief for the kitchen staff. “It is helpful to our staff,” she said.

And with all ServSafe certified, it meant they knew what to do for cleaning and to serve the meals.

Stephanie Oakley, community relations specialist for Food Lion’s Charlotte region, said partnering with Fifth Street is something the local stores have done for years, largely accepting donations from customers.

“It’s hyperlocal,” she said.

The main goal behind Food Lion Feeds is to not only help its stores but the community as well. The $5,000 in gift cards, Oakley said, represent some 50,000 meals.

Spending a few hours at Fifth Street, she said, not only gives the organization a helping hand but it is a labor of love for the Food Lion employees.

“You can feel and see the energy,” she said.

Roach said the day is also a chance for those in need in the community to get more than a meal.

“They are made to feel that they matter. It really gives hope,” she said.